To think England isn't such a great place to live

[Cloudminnow]

Not just the weather, but so much more ...

parking fees everywhere and having to have change at hand (or very expensive pay as you leave - £8.80 to park for an afternoon shopping today!!)

hopeless and expensive public transport system

traffic jams all over the place

terrible customer service

obsession with celebrity culture and all it stands for

union flag and all it stands for

embarrassing monarchy (even having to have one at all)

desperate government

Olympics sponsored by Coke

Education system overly concerned with literacy, numeracy and data at the expense of a love of learning and creativity...

Can anyone sell England to me?!

where the eff did you park that cost £8.80? central london??

i am finding customer service pretty good at the moment and i don't think most normal people are celebrity obsessed

is the queen really embarassing? give me evidence

agree about the public transport & olympics

OP might not be British though.

I also think British tv makes up for a lot. And I like the flag.

It's alright, could be better, could be worse. Bit unfair to compare it to sierra leone though! Maybe compare like with like and compare with oz, US, NZ, western europe. We stay because of family, not cos of the intrinsic loveliness of the place. It's family and friends that make a place special

tatty We are in Denmark at the moment visiting DH's family. I could never live here. At dinner this evening the menu said that at least two people must order the same main course on the menu. I wanted something different to everyone else so asked for two starters instead. I was told that this wasn't allowed. Also, you were not allowed to order dessert if you didn't order a starter. I was so hacked off that I had to eat the same meal that everyone else was having. No one was able to tell me what happens to those dining alone!

We live in the US. Overall it is a good place for us because we are able to buy our way out of problems. With the high taxes in the UK we wouldn't be able to do this. I think for anyone who is lower to mid middle class is probably better in another.

We moved to the Middle East and have never looked back. I would say the NHS is better here although I admit it is a smaller place so can afford it. We have to pay about £20 a night to be in hospital, we have little crime. NOT because people are scared of the punishment but because the crimes we suffered in the UK rarely happen here. It's not perfect of course but we have a safe life where 14 year olds can go out on their own and hang around and the worst thing that will happen is they get bitten by a big fucker ant. They also learn about other cultures by being a minority which is good. I am not saying that the free big house with pool and tax free salary does not help make us love it here. We made a choice and none of our kids were born in the UK, we have a pension plan that means we will never have to ask them to support us.

I think there are lots of good things, like the NHS, as lots of people have mentioned. I also think that sometimes the media drum up a sense of hysteria about crime that really isn't necessary.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7425126/Britain-one-of-worst-places-to-raise-children.html

I currently live in NZ and things aren't great here. Yes I like living here but...

They don't insulate their houses or have central heating so it's freezing in the winter

The supermarkets are very limited and very expensive especially for fresh.

To see a specialist takes months because of a lack of skilled staff.

Passive racism and all out sexism. Never been so grateful for Political correctness.

So isolated and with little culture.

Utterly terrible tv.

I'm happy living here for a while but England is home and I'll be happy to settle there long term

I do think we have far less racism, sexism, homophobia etc than most countries. Still exists, but I encountered a lot more of that kind of stuff in other countries.

Germy - it costs that much to park around here for the afternoon (SE/Reading/Camberley).

I hope this is not out of context, but I cannot understand why people keep saying that NHS services are FREE healthcare, it's not, it's called SOCIALISED healthcare, that's a big difference...

Sorry, if this is out of place.

It's free to access most services. Not dentist etc, and obv we do pay for them.

But it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Just because it is free at the time of service, doesn't mean it's a free healthcare service system, it's finance through taxes right, and not a gift from heaven. Other Western European countries also have the socialised healthcare system, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway for example...

I left the UK 4 1/2 years ago and in honesty I've never looked back.

Having just returned from 6 weeks back there, there are most certainly things that I'll miss - driving standards are a million times better than here in the Caribbean, Greggs steak bakes, fabulous shopping and yes, friendly people. I miss the fact that I can be anonymous and how cheap things are with the BOGOF deals in Sainsburys and the like. And I miss my family.

I also came back for a week in April and I loved all the Jubilee comradeliness, it felt like the Jubilee and Olympics were bringing people together, making them proud to fly the union jack. That has been missing for a while.

In fairness, there were things I didn't like originally so I left but only because it wasn't the right place for me. For all the bad things like benefits scrounging, horrendous childcare fees and ridiculous immigration laws, England also has wonderful things like a great NHS system (having had dealings with the NHS both personally in the past and most recently with a family member, they were beyond wonderful on both occasions), child tax credits, a relatively stable economy, history, culture, people trying to make a difference in the community etc etc.

What is keeping me away is the knowledge that if I come back, my husband and I will be leaving the house at 7am returning at 7pm, leaving our 10 month old DS in daycare, whilst we earn half the salary and get taxed ridiculous amounts.

I can only be grateful that I have had the opportunity to enjoy a life elsewhere so that when I return for holidays to see my family, I can enjoy everything that England has to offer. I don't dislike England by any stretch of the imagination, it is my homeland. But DH and PFB come first and I will stay anywhere where I can enjoy an outdoor lifestyle and even though I work full time, I can be home with my baby by 5.15pm every evening to play with him and put him to bed, something that a lot of other mums don't have the opportunity to enjoy.

There are pros and cons to everywhere, nowhere is faultless. Even here in the Caribbean, there are downsides but it's what you make of it in the long run. You just have to try and keep your eyes open for the opportunities that present themselves.

Not sure its worth selling England to you OP, unless you can step outside of it and get some perspective, you will only see the bad. But there are plenty of good, nay, wonderful things about England.

I'm in Australia and I have to say the weather does make a difference it's winter over here but most days are sunny. We spend hours in the park pretty much everyday, there's no litter, no dog poo (that I've seen) despite lots of dogs around the place and generally just a really positive atmosphere.

I do miss the cheapness of UK supermarkets, groceries are eyewateringly expensive over here.

YANBU. You are entitled to voice your opinion and all the points you raise are valid, OP. I'm surprised by how many others seem to have jumped on your comments so defensively. Perhaps you should think about a stint overseas. After a year in Australia, for us the UK just didn't seem a great place to live anymore. Australia compared so much more favourably. We are now in New Zealand, which is far from perfect but we are happy. Nowhere is perfect and there are lots of things I miss about the UK but many that I am happy to leave behind.

Want2bSupermum - The taxes aren't that higher in the UK than in the US. The amount off my pay is a similar amount to what was taken in the US. I DON'T have to pay my health insurance on top of that like you do. Sales tax (VAT) may be higher, but not much. If I remember correctly, in Chicago it was around 13%, with another 5% for state tax. I actually have more money in my pocket after all deductions than I did in the US.

I live in Oz. Same shit but with the added bonus of the sun. Although, the amount of rain we've had recently, makes me wonder

Everything inAustralia is much more expensive, apart from petrol.

There were also floods in the Sydney area earlier this year!

I do have to admit after a 3 week holiday in Australia earlier this year to consider a move over there I was very impressed at how much the Australians look after their country compared to the UK. The public parks are beautiful, the communal bbqs are spotless - I'm just not sure they would be in this country. Wish we could have that kind of pride over here. (And a little more sunshine!)

Still wasn't enough to make us move over there though.

It's OK

I suspect that wherever you go there will be things that drive you mad and things you like. I think the rain and the economic situation is making everything seem worse atm.

well, I am foreign and have lived in 6 different countries before moving her, 4 years ago.

I LOVE England :), though my love is being tested by the weather ATM.

Things I hate:

• basins with one tap for cold, one for hot, making hadnwashing tricky. Why why why?
• very expensive, and not brilliant, public transport

-big divide between rich and poor (benefits are so low! Who can actually LIVE on benefits or state pension?

• horrid chocolate (Cadbury's), full of dubious vegetable fat that is NOT cocoa butter
• lack of self belief (Olympics will be a shamble, we will never win Wimbledon, we are crap at football etc etc.), lack of pride.
• complaining about foreigners

but I LOVE

• the people, friendly but giving you enough personal space
• self deprecating sense of humour
• not obsessed with looks (though current TOWIE like behaviour a bit worrying)
• the fact that education is seen as really important
• NHS, free healthcare for all
• lots of nice foreign food
• Sunday roasts
• being able to go for a walk anywhere, even over private land, amazing!!!The only other country where this is possible is Sweden, AFAIK
• lots of good books, and books are cheap
• great sports facilities, parks, playgrounds
• having a lovely cup of tea
• really nice pubs
• fetes where people sell cupcakes for 20p, not even covering costs, so quaint and sweet, welly wanging, smack the rat, other weird and wonderful activities
• Good comedy (Mock the week, have I got news for you etc)
• lots of free range organic stuff
• sport for kids is important, lots of choice of sports, quite cheaply (karate in village hall, £3.50, football £2 a session)
• beautiful gardens

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Chandon your reasons for loving England made me , really lovely reasons.